He’s still coming after me, in my dreams now. The only time I can’t control my thoughts.
And he’s not even hurting me in my dreams—no, he’s killing me with kindness and memories of good times.
My alarm goes off, and “The Hills” by the Weeknd starts to play. I listen to the entire song before making myself jump into the shower and wash my hair.
Time to get ready for work.
Fuck the past. It has no place here.
Friday comes around quickly, and I’ve found myself looking forward to tonight. If I’m being honest, I haven’t stopped thinking about Ardan since I last saw him. After work I drive home, take a quick shower, and get dressed in jeans and a white tank top. Since Ardan didn’t tell me where we were going, I wear flats instead of heels, aiming for comfort over sexiness. He messaged me a few times during the week, and I have to wonder what’s going through his mind.
Is he a man who likes the chase, but once he has me he loses interest? That’s the most likely situation, and I don’t know what to do about it. I like him. I like spending time with him. And I am excited to see him again. Yes, I am probably an idiot, but he is my only friend, and he’s pushed his way into my life thus far and it seems he intends to stay. A knock lets me know he’s here, so I grab my knit cardigan off the bed and unlock the door.
“Hey,” I say, brow furrowing as he steps inside, some tools in his hand. “What are you—”
“Putting in a better lock for you,” he says, pulling out a rectangular silver latch and holding it up against the door. “Won’t be but a few minutes.”
I open my mouth and then close it.
Who does stuff like this?
“You realize I won’t be staying here for long, like, at all,” I point out, watching as he drills a new high-tech lock in.
“Yup,” he replies. “But you’ll be safe for that time, now won’t you?”
I sigh and mutter, “You’re crazy,” to which he replies, “Fuckin’ batshit.”
When he’s done he turns around and grins, handing me the new key, which I put down on the table. “You look beautiful.”
“Thank you,” I tell him, touching his leather jacket. “I didn’t know where we were going tonight, so I wasn’t sure how dressy to get.”
“You’re perfect,” he says, pulling me against his hard body.
“You’re not so bad yourself. Thanks for the lock,” I say, lips kicking up at the corners. “Better than the normal, boring flowers most men bring.”
Ardan throws his head back and laughs. “Yeah, I guess you can say I’m not very traditional.”
I rest my face against his chest. “I’m more than okay with that.”
“Valentina,” he says in a quiet, deep tone. “You should probably stop touching me, unless you want to cancel tonight, because I’m about to lift you against the wall and fuck you.”
I shiver at the quiet sincerity in his voice, the sensual threat that has me biting my lip. I take a step back and lift my chin. “We better go, then.” I walk to the door and half turn so he can see my face. “But when we get back, I think our first time should be on the bed.” I smirk. “Then we can try the wall.”
I saunter out of the motel room, leaving him standing there, cursing under his breath. I smile to myself.
A few seconds later, he closes and locks the door, then grabs me and pushes me up against it. “Those words coming out of your beautiful, pouty mouth. Fuck. We better go before I give you exactly what you want, right now.” He steps back, leaving me feeling hot, my nipples hardening and my teeth sinking into my bottom lip.
He looks away from me, as if gathering his composure, then says, “You didn’t even take the new room key.”
“I knew you would,” I admit, getting myself under control. After a few moments, I intertwine his hand in mine, still feeling the heat between us but knowing that waiting until later will make it even more amazing. “Now, Ardan, where exactly are we going?”
SIX
“WELL, this wasn’t what I was expecting,” I say, smiling up at him. “You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you?”
He smiles and holds on to the wall. “I’ve never been before, so I wanted to try it. It’s fuckin’ slippery, though. How the fuck is anyone meant to do this?”
I arch my brows. “It’s ice. What did you expect it to be like?”
He scowls and shuffles his skates along the ice at a snail’s pace.
“If only your MC buddies could see you now,” I tease, pulling out my phone. “I need a photo of this. Fuck, you look so cute.” I giggle, making him narrow his eyes and stop moving.
“Come on, show me what you have, then, darlin’.”
I skate in a circle around him. “I can’t do anything fancy, but I went ice-skating a few times when I was a kid.”
“And it’s like riding a bicycle?” he asks dryly, letting go of the barricades and pushing forward.
I hook my arm through his and slow down, helping him along. “You’ll get the hang of it soon enough.”
“Fuckin’ better,” he grumbles, glancing around. “There are kids skating circles around me right now.”
“Well, your ego does need to be taken down a notch,” I say with a straight face. “I love how they play music in the rink. Makes me want to dance.”